How Big is God (part Four)
Genesis 1:26 – 2:25
God creates man (and woman)
Moses introduces the creation of Mankind and gives a 'capsule' or digest summary of what he will enlarge on in chapter 2.
Ge 1:26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God does not say as He did earlier, “Let the earth bring forth man.” He speaks, not to the earth but to Himself as the Trinity. He had said regarding everything He had created that it was good. This change in the way He introduces the next creation tells us that Man is the principal item, the reason for which God has made everything else. This is the beginning of the history of man.
What does it mean to be created in God's image? Here are a few key words that particularly apply to both to God and to mankind, but not to animals: Self-consciousness, personality, rationality (including the ability to reason morally), intelligence, creativity, relationships .
A person could spend a great deal of time looking at each one of these words and compare God's likeness in us. And after the time has been spent, our appreciation and love for God should be even greater than it is now.
Genesis 2 verse 7 details the creation of man, prior to creating woman. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Our 'make-up' from the basic cellular level is that of common elements of the earth. I believe God brought these together … not as merely a clay model lying on the ground … but cell by cell constructed Adam's body. God started his body working; the heart pumping; the lungs breathing … and gave him a soul and spirit, living in the body.
What do we know about our soul and spirit? Can a spirit die? What is the difference between a soul and a spirit? Here is a passage that indicates that they are very closely associated.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And this passage that indicates we are 'tripartite1' … (who comes up with these fancy words!) … not a trinity as God is.
1Th 5:23 ¶ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
An additional difference between animal and man, that is, another attribute of being made in God's image, is the creation of a soul that is as eternal as God is.
Back to Moses' introduction:
1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 ¶ And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.
31 ¶ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Ge 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
So human history has begun. God made a human. He made him perfect. He had him interact with and join Him in His work. God had first made the animals. Now He brings them past Adam one at a time and gives him the privilege of naming them. This took some time … how much time? We can only guess.
God gave Adam another privilege … or we might look at it as a responsibility … and that was to tend the garden of Eden. In my imagination, this is not a back yard garden. It is not a two acre garden. I see it as miles big. This is Adam's home. He works here. This took some time … we can only guess how much time.
Who was with Adam in the garden? Animals that he had named. By the way, none of them were wild or touched by the sin nature of this present world.
Who else was there? God was there and walked and talked with him
Ge 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, …
This verse mentions 'they' heard. It includes Eve, but I am sure that God spoke with Adam every day.
More about this in a later chapter. Who else? I believe Lucifer was there. He will show up in chapter three in a different form, but for now let's read a little of what how the Bible described Lucifer.
Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
Lucifer, the very highest ranking of all of God's angels, was in Eden. That was not where he had his beginning. The Angels, Lucifer included, were made before the earth and the universe were made. In the book of Job it says that the angels expressed joy with each act of God's creation (Job 38:7).
Earth was made first. God made it for the purpose of making a home for mankind. Then he made the universe. God had said, let the dry land appear … etc. etc. We are told in verse Genesis 2:11-12 about a river that splits into four. And one is mentioned as skirting a section of land that was rich in the finest gold and also other precious gems.
Lucifer was there as soon as it was made. He was the highest ranking angel of God and no doubt was there by the will and purpose of God.
Lucifer 'fell' from his lofty position. His sin was pride2. By the way, God did not create sin. Sin is
actually the absence of good … and it gets worse from there. Darkness is the absence of light. Pride is the absence of appreciation and praise to the one who deserves credit. Sometimes pride can be totally silent. It dwells in the heart. God detects it.
For how long a time did Adam tend the garden before he got real lonely? We are not told, but Lucifer 'fell' during this time. He took some angels with him. Often we say that he led one third of the angels in a rebellion against God. To be specific, he may have had about half of the angels on his side. The reason I suspect this, is that in the end time he will attack God one last time. Revelation 12:4 and onwards makes it clear that he will attack God with one third of the angels. Fallen angels. Presently called demons. But are these the only angels who sinned? Jude mentions that a lot of angels are chained up and reserved for judgment. They will not come out of their confinement until the judgment. But another passage in Revelation says that there are some who are presently in a holding place who WILL be released during the tribulation. If these numbers are significant, I think the original group who attacked God shortly after creation may even have been more than 50%. Otherwise … how could he have3 been so stupid as to think he would stand a chance for a successful coup. How many good angels does that leave? Check Revelation 5:114 and Hebrews 12:22
Genesis 2:18 ¶ And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
19 Out of the ground the LORD God (had) formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 ¶ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
A short 're-cap'
2:18-25 Adam needs a companionship
At this point there is no mention of the companion being female or that reproduction was to be encouraged.
Moses uses the origin of the companion to underscore the unity and permanence of a man and woman in marriage.
When a man and a woman come together in marriage they are to consider themselves as being joined together just like Eve was to Adam before the surgery.
He mentions a man's leaving his father and mother … he could also have mentioned a woman's leaving her father and mother. … and being joined to their partner. The King James versions says, 'leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife'. Leave and cleave. The Hebrew word means 'to cling'. In Leviticus 1:17 the word cleave is also used. It is a totally different word in Hebrew and it means to split into … like we would today, using a cleaver. That word cleave (split) is to find no place in a marriage. Jesus said regarding marriage in Matthew 19:6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Because 'shame' or embarrassment occurred if a man or a woman was seen unclad in Moses day, he emphasizes how exceptional this was to what was thought and expected to be a universal response.
Shame, embarrassment, shyness, inhibitions … vary between people. And they vary with the times. Many people today laugh at such reactions and call it Victorian and prudish.
But why is it pointed out here that they had no shame?
For several reasons.
1 tri·par·tite trīˈpärˌtīt/ adjective - consisting of three parts.
2Isaiah 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [How] you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
3Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
4Re 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
Ge 1:26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God does not say as He did earlier, “Let the earth bring forth man.” He speaks, not to the earth but to Himself as the Trinity. He had said regarding everything He had created that it was good. This change in the way He introduces the next creation tells us that Man is the principal item, the reason for which God has made everything else. This is the beginning of the history of man.
What does it mean to be created in God's image? Here are a few key words that particularly apply to both to God and to mankind, but not to animals: Self-consciousness, personality, rationality (including the ability to reason morally), intelligence, creativity, relationships .
A person could spend a great deal of time looking at each one of these words and compare God's likeness in us. And after the time has been spent, our appreciation and love for God should be even greater than it is now.
Genesis 2 verse 7 details the creation of man, prior to creating woman. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Our 'make-up' from the basic cellular level is that of common elements of the earth. I believe God brought these together … not as merely a clay model lying on the ground … but cell by cell constructed Adam's body. God started his body working; the heart pumping; the lungs breathing … and gave him a soul and spirit, living in the body.
What do we know about our soul and spirit? Can a spirit die? What is the difference between a soul and a spirit? Here is a passage that indicates that they are very closely associated.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And this passage that indicates we are 'tripartite1' … (who comes up with these fancy words!) … not a trinity as God is.
1Th 5:23 ¶ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
An additional difference between animal and man, that is, another attribute of being made in God's image, is the creation of a soul that is as eternal as God is.
Back to Moses' introduction:
1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 ¶ And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.
31 ¶ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Ge 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
So human history has begun. God made a human. He made him perfect. He had him interact with and join Him in His work. God had first made the animals. Now He brings them past Adam one at a time and gives him the privilege of naming them. This took some time … how much time? We can only guess.
God gave Adam another privilege … or we might look at it as a responsibility … and that was to tend the garden of Eden. In my imagination, this is not a back yard garden. It is not a two acre garden. I see it as miles big. This is Adam's home. He works here. This took some time … we can only guess how much time.
Who was with Adam in the garden? Animals that he had named. By the way, none of them were wild or touched by the sin nature of this present world.
Who else was there? God was there and walked and talked with him
Ge 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, …
This verse mentions 'they' heard. It includes Eve, but I am sure that God spoke with Adam every day.
More about this in a later chapter. Who else? I believe Lucifer was there. He will show up in chapter three in a different form, but for now let's read a little of what how the Bible described Lucifer.
Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
Lucifer, the very highest ranking of all of God's angels, was in Eden. That was not where he had his beginning. The Angels, Lucifer included, were made before the earth and the universe were made. In the book of Job it says that the angels expressed joy with each act of God's creation (Job 38:7).
Earth was made first. God made it for the purpose of making a home for mankind. Then he made the universe. God had said, let the dry land appear … etc. etc. We are told in verse Genesis 2:11-12 about a river that splits into four. And one is mentioned as skirting a section of land that was rich in the finest gold and also other precious gems.
Lucifer was there as soon as it was made. He was the highest ranking angel of God and no doubt was there by the will and purpose of God.
Lucifer 'fell' from his lofty position. His sin was pride2. By the way, God did not create sin. Sin is
actually the absence of good … and it gets worse from there. Darkness is the absence of light. Pride is the absence of appreciation and praise to the one who deserves credit. Sometimes pride can be totally silent. It dwells in the heart. God detects it.
For how long a time did Adam tend the garden before he got real lonely? We are not told, but Lucifer 'fell' during this time. He took some angels with him. Often we say that he led one third of the angels in a rebellion against God. To be specific, he may have had about half of the angels on his side. The reason I suspect this, is that in the end time he will attack God one last time. Revelation 12:4 and onwards makes it clear that he will attack God with one third of the angels. Fallen angels. Presently called demons. But are these the only angels who sinned? Jude mentions that a lot of angels are chained up and reserved for judgment. They will not come out of their confinement until the judgment. But another passage in Revelation says that there are some who are presently in a holding place who WILL be released during the tribulation. If these numbers are significant, I think the original group who attacked God shortly after creation may even have been more than 50%. Otherwise … how could he have3 been so stupid as to think he would stand a chance for a successful coup. How many good angels does that leave? Check Revelation 5:114 and Hebrews 12:22
Genesis 2:18 ¶ And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
19 Out of the ground the LORD God (had) formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 ¶ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
A short 're-cap'
2:18-25 Adam needs a companionship
- animals are brought before him for naming
- Of these none were suitable for companionship.
- God makes a companion for him by:
- by putting him to sleep
- removing a part
- shaping the remainder into a body
- giving it life
- Waking Adam and presenting him with a companion.
At this point there is no mention of the companion being female or that reproduction was to be encouraged.
Moses uses the origin of the companion to underscore the unity and permanence of a man and woman in marriage.
When a man and a woman come together in marriage they are to consider themselves as being joined together just like Eve was to Adam before the surgery.
He mentions a man's leaving his father and mother … he could also have mentioned a woman's leaving her father and mother. … and being joined to their partner. The King James versions says, 'leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife'. Leave and cleave. The Hebrew word means 'to cling'. In Leviticus 1:17 the word cleave is also used. It is a totally different word in Hebrew and it means to split into … like we would today, using a cleaver. That word cleave (split) is to find no place in a marriage. Jesus said regarding marriage in Matthew 19:6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Because 'shame' or embarrassment occurred if a man or a woman was seen unclad in Moses day, he emphasizes how exceptional this was to what was thought and expected to be a universal response.
Shame, embarrassment, shyness, inhibitions … vary between people. And they vary with the times. Many people today laugh at such reactions and call it Victorian and prudish.
But why is it pointed out here that they had no shame?
For several reasons.
- They had not sinned and did not have a 'sin nature'. What is a sin nature? It refers to a tendency that a person is born with. For example … a cat has a litter of kittens. They grow. They have not made a sound yet … but when they mew instead of bark, are we surprised … disappointed? No, we do not sit around wondering what kind of sound they will make. It will be in accord with their inherited nature. By the same token … we should not be surprised when a little baby sins. That is its nature. It will happen every time. Adam and Eve, not having a sin nature would have no sinful thoughts. What about sexual desire between Adam and Eve? Isn't eroticism based on lust … and is not lust a sin? Well, that is another subject for another time.
- Another reason they MIGHT not have had shame … the bodies they were given were likely the same as the bodies we will receive in the resurrection. They were not tainted with sin. The bodies were not 'dying' as our are. They were designed to be eternal. They are referred in the New Testament as being 'Glorified bodies'. Romans 8:17 ¶ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.
The word glory and the word glorified come from a bible Greek word, DOXA. While this word is used to describe honor … (glorify someone) it literally means brightness and shining. Jesus was 'transfigured' along with Moses and Elijah who miraculously appeared from the unseen world, and their bodies began to shine brighter than the sun. Much earlier, during his earthly life, Moses got to 'see' God and for the next month his face shone so that none could stand to look at him. Our next bodies will be glorified … shining like the sun. I believe that Adam and Eve had glorified bodies … perhaps as bright as the sun. When they sinned … their light went out. Now they could see their nakedness.
1 tri·par·tite trīˈpärˌtīt/ adjective - consisting of three parts.
2Isaiah 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [How] you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
3Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
4Re 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,